Iron Oak Armor

"Wood?!" The man laughed at the armorer, "This armor is made of wood?"
The tablin shrugged causing the decorative braids on his 8 point antlers to dance about as he adjusted himself.
"Yes? Is that an issue?" the armorer asked. The man laughed again.
"Is it an issue? How is wood better than steel?" the man replied.
"I never said it was better, I said it had strength equal to steel."
Tornil laughed and the man turned to him. At first it seemed that he was going to say something, but the smoke of Tornil's pipe, as well as the intimidating demeanor of a bear on two legs with an ax in his hand, made him think twice. He turned away and Tornil spoke.
"Would you like a demonstration?" Tornil asked, and the man turned back and seemed skittish at the behemoth approaching him. The full breed gestured to his own armor and held the ax out to the man.
"Give it a good swing now. You won't be convinced otherwise."
At first the man seemed hesitant, but he did as he was told. He took the ax and mustered more strength than he intended, striking at the grey wooden chest plate. A loud crack echoed into the canopy of the wood and tornil smiled. The man tried to retrieve the ax, tugging hard to find it embedded into the wood.
The bear leaned in and put his hand on the shoulder of the man, who suddenly felt quite small. The bear smiled menacingly
"This, little man, this is why it's better."

Iron oak armor, or ironbark armor, is a special form of armor made from the bark of iron oaks found throughout Estoya, particularly in the Tablwood. The tablin invented the armor and the method of making it after discovering that iron oaks have remarkably dense wood that is lightweight.

Early carpenters who took on the challenge first tried to use the wood itself. It took hours to cut through a younger oak and no ever tried the older oaks in the wood. The wood had a tendency to snag on the saws and axes used which led to breakages and injury. Eventually, someone decided to strip the bark and surface layers of the tree and use them instead as they were easier to whittle down to the desired size and easier to gather.

Process

The modern way of making the armor requires the carpenter to shave off large pieces of bark. The carpenter then whittles to the desired shape or for aesthetic purposes they may not. The carpenter then takes the bark and shaves or sands the roughness of the exterior bark revealing the moist wood beneath.
the carpenter takes this wood and saturates it in clean water for days, allowing the wood to absorb the maximum amount of moisture.
Once this process is complete the carpenter will take the bark and layer them over one another. The carpenter takes a large mallet and hammers them down, merging the layers together as the moisture makes it easier to bond.
this ends up being the most difficult part of the process as layers are not uniform in size or elevation. While the moisture makes the layers malleable and able to flatten to a degree, often times great care will be needed to ensure even distribution of bark.

If this is not done the armor can have structural weaknesses as some areas will have more thickness or layering than others.
Once the bottom layers are formed the Carpenter will take them and place them on special jigs and proceed to layer them to desired thickness and shape.

Once this has been done the carpenter is technically done and lets the piece dry out just enough to allow the grey color of the bark to return to the surface and apply a coat of the special polymer made specific for this armor.

A Rare Gift

Generally finding someone who can even make the armor is rare, but finding a set for purchase is even more so. As such it is quite expensive and the polymer is almost required which adds another heft price one must pay. Usually carpenters sold a jug of the polymer free of charge with the purchase of the armor.

Pros and Cons

The armor is by far one of the most cherished achievements of the tablin as it not only equals steel in almost every way, but also has several benefits over steel like its light weight and tendency to snag serrated weapons. The upkeep and expense are considered too much effort by many when steel is easier to find, easier to maintain, and cheaper

The secret is the balance of moisture in the wood combined with its density and resilience. While this puts the wood in the worst possible situation as far as rotting and infestation, a set of this armor that is taken care of will last generations.

Design

Sometimes, the carpenter will rehydrate the surface of the finished product to add wood carved designs and/or makers marks to the armor. Often times these designs take the form of myths and legends of the tablin. Sometimes, if the armor is commissioned, these designs will be made to the buyer's preferences.

Upkeep and Tablwood Polymer

Numerous issues began to appear by those who wore this armor in the beginning. In extremely dry areas the armor would dry out making it less effective at absorbing incoming blows and prone to breaking, in very wet areas the armor began to grow mold and rot and almost anywhere a wearer went, the armor could be infested by insects who favored wood, leading to rather startling and often unpleasant encounters with nature.

To prevent this the tablin carpenters developed a polymer that would coat every inch the armor in a thin layer. The astringent herbs infused in it would repel insects and kill off mold, preventing new mold colonies from growing, and would seal in moisture while also adding moisture itself as its absorbed.

This leads to a rather ritualistic method of tending to the armor. Tablin are often seen placing the armor is specially made garments like a sacrament and appear entranced when moisturizing and finishing the armor. The act of upkeep generally depends on when and where you are. In wet climates, it happens far less often but in drier areas, may need to be done every couple of weeks.

One knows when to tend to their armor based on tapping it. If it sounds hard and hollow, it needs to be properly sealed.